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The Pirate Bay

Vangie Beal
Last Updated May 24, 2021 7:57 am
A Swedish-owned and operated BitTorrent (torrents) Web site. The Pirate Bay allows users to search for torrents and then download them files from other users. In 2006 the servers for the Web site were raided by Swedish police and the founders have been involved in different lawsuits during its history most of which alleged the that the Web site was a large facilitator of illegal downloading.

In April 2009, the Pirate Bay site operators Peter Kolmisoppi, Frederik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg and financial backer Carl Lundstr m were found guilty in Swedish court of violating copyright laws. Each were sentenced a year in jail and a joint fine of 30 million Swedish crowns ($3.58 million).

In June 2009 it was reported that the Swedish software firm, Global Gaming Factory X, which offers on-screen advertising, software distribution and management tools for Internet cafes, struck a deal to acquire the BitTorrent site. As The Pirate Bay’s new owner, plans were started to overhaul the site with a new business model that would provide compensation to content owners.

See also “Pirate Bay Found Guilty in File-Sharing Trial” on InternetNews.com.